When Jared met Maddie
by tbfan94
Summary: Jared doesn't expect much when he and his family move to London. But imagine what would happen when he meets the beautiful daughter of Sweeney and Mrs.Lovett. My first story, please review!
1. Chapter 1

"No place like London," thought Jared sarcastically. "What's so good about moving here?'' London was just a dirty city with rats, beggars, and smelly sewers. How could anyone live here? "My life was already boring enough," he thought. Him and his parents had lived in a nice, small house in Sussex, but now they moved into a large, dirty house in London.

His family is expecting a new baby, so they needed a bigger place to live. Ever since they got there, his mother has been decorating the baby's room, and his father has been working the delivery service. They asked him if he could get his own job so they coul have some extra money. Since they needed all the extra help they could get, Jared decided to search for a job. So far, nothing suited him. "Bloody waste of time," he mumbled under his breath. He searched a couple shops that might of sparked some interests. Although he wasn't interested in being a butcher, a tailor, or even a bus boy. Jared almost gave up completely, untill he found an old knick-knack shop.

Looking up at the sign, it read, "Valiant's Valuables: The Perfect Prizes for the Perfect Prices." Jared shrugged. "Seems simple enough," he thought. He opened the door and stepped inside, only to find the largest amount of trinkets and baubles he had ever seen. On tons of shelves were figurines, picture frames, paintings, clocks, plates, bowls, jewlery boxes, mirrors, dolls, fabrics, books, purses, glasses, and vases of all kinds. Many of them looked like they were from different countries judging by their style and architexture. Jared noticed by taking a closer look, some of the hand carved features and sculpting of the figurines and vases, how so authentic they looked.

Taken up in all of the treasures, he didn't notice that the shopkeeper han entered the room. "Good day, lad. Need help looking for something?'' , he said. Jared gave him a confused look but then remembered his reason for coming into the store. "Um, hi," he replied. "I was sort of wondering if you had a job opening here at your store." The shopkeeper smiled. "I think I could use another member to my little crew. Have you ever worked in a shop before?'' "Not really," said Jared, "But I am a real quick learner."

"Well working here is easy," stated the shopkeeper. "Most of the work is just helping customers and keeping the shop clean. You look like you could do a fine job, lad. What's your name?'' "Jared Rayford, sir," answered Jared. "It's very nice to meet you, Jared. I'm Valiant Hamilton. But you can call me Val for short. I'd be very happy if you'd apply here." Jared smiled at him. "That means a lot Val, thank you." "Don't mention it," said Val.

At that moment, the bell rung, signifing a customer coming in. A middle-aged women quickley paced up to the counter to talk to Val. "Val, please tell me you have the new Edgar Allen Poe book in today," she exclaimed. "Hang on , Mrs. Mooney, I'll see if we have it in the back," said Val. Just as he was about open the back door, a girl came through it carrying a heavy looking brown box. She was shorter than Jared and she had straight brown hair that touched her shoulders. "Oh, hi Mrs. Mooney. Do you need something?," she asked. "I was wondering if you had the new Edgar Allen Poe book Stella," replied Mrs. Mooney. "Oh sure, a whole bunch of copies are in here. I'll get one out for you," said Stella. Just as she went back through the door, another employee came out. This time it was a boy with dark black hair who might have looked a year or two older than Jared.

He was carring two small clocks to put on the shelves when he noticed Jared and Mrs. Mooney. "You need some help with the customers Val," he asked. "Oh, no Mick. Mrs. Mooney's just waiting to get her book. This is Jared," Val mentioned as he nodded towards Jared. "He's our new employee." "Oh, really?'' replied Mick. He walked over to shake Jared's hand. "You new to London?"

"Yeah," said Jared, "My family needs some extra money so I was lucky to find a job here." "I think you'll like it here," said Mick, " It's a decent job and you get good money. You made a smart choice to pick here." At that moment Stella came through the back door again with Mrs. Mooney's book. "Here you go . Hope you enjoy it." " Finally, thank you Stella," answered . She put her money on the counter and strode towards the front door when it opened to reveil another girl who was carrying a basket. "Oh, hello Madeline," said Mrs. Mooney with a frown. "You look well." "As do you ." said the girl with the same unhappy tone. She walked up to the counter as walked out of the shop. She set her basket down and took out three small pies. "Here's today's lunch Val," she stated. "Everyone having a good day?"

"Sure is now that your here, I'm starving!" said Stella as she reached for one of the pies. "Can you stay a little longer today Maddie or is it another busy day at the shop?" "Another busy day unfortunetly," said Maddie. " Hopefully tomorrow will be better." As they talked, Jared looked at Maddie with a most unusual intrest in his case. She had a creamy pale face with dark, sunken brown eyes. Her long, night black hair fell halfway down her back and she wore a dusty looking dress with a white top and black bottom. She also wore an old red tie losely around her neck. She looked very grim, but at the same time very beautiful. Jared kept gazing in wonder untill she turned took face him and then quickley looked down. "Well, I have to go. Don't want to keep Mum waiting." Maddie picked up her basket and headed for the door. "Maddie, make sure you bring four pies tomorrow," said Val quickley. "Jared's going to start working with us."

Maddie put her hand on the doorknob and then looked back at Jared. She had a straight face so Jared couldn't really tell what she was thinking. "Alright then, bye everyone," she stated and then went out the door. "Maddie works at her mother's pie shop, Jared. She stops by everyday to bring us some lunch. Her mum's one good baker." said Val happily. "Be right back to get us some drinks." He headed towards a side door and went up some stairs.

"I'll go help Val," replied Stella as she walked to the stairs. "By the way, it's great to have you here Jared. I think you'll make good friends with everybody." After that she disapeared up the stairs. "Looks like you really fancy Maddie," said Mick with a smirk as went to put his clocks down on a shelf. "What do you mean, I just met her," asked Jared. " I saw the way you stared at her. Do you think she's pretty?" Mick asked back. Jared didn't know how to answer. He really did think Maddie was pretty, but how was he suppost to say it to Mick? "Relax, I'm just wondering. I won't judge you," Mick said calmly. "Well, mabye I guess," said Jared shyly. "Thought so. Not a single other person looks at her like that besides her parents. All the other boys in town ignore her."

"Why?" asked Jared. "They probably just think she's too strange. She really is a nice person once you get to know her though," explained Mick. By then, Val and Stella came back down with the drinks and plates. For the rest of the day all Jared could think about was Maddie. Did people really think that she was strange or not that good of a person? He would just have to try and talk to her tomorrow and see if Mick was right. On the way home Jared smiled to himself secretly. He couldn't wait to see her again.

* * *

Alright people, what do you think? Is this good enough? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. I'm gonna start working on chapter two so please let me know if you like it!


	2. Chapter 2

Madeline Todd was never the most popular girl in London. All anyone ever said about her was that she was the barber and baker's daughter, or "the meat pie girl". She wasn't very social, nor was she the least bit interested in what people thought about her. From what she has heard though, her family didn't have the best reputation. Thanks to a little eavsdropping, Maddie got a hint of what was said about her parents. It was said that before she was born, people would often go missing after a trip to her father's barber shop. Some people were still suspicious of him even after the disappearences stopped. Maddie knew that her father was a little mysterious, but why would he do horrible things to inoccent people?

"It's just that nobody likes him," Maddie always thought. "People are so rude that they have to make up stories. They don't understand him like Mum, Toby, and me." From what she heard from others (and by others, meaning Mrs. Mooney), her mother used to have the worst pies in London. When her father moved in, she suddenly had her business booming and was apparently stealing all of Mrs. Mooney's customers. "Mrs. Mooney's just jealuos," her mother told her whenever she brougth up the subject. "We never really did like each other. I used to be jealous of her business I'll admit, but she never played fair. She always cooked pussy cats in her pies instead of real meat."

Even though life wasn't perfect, Maddie still thought that she was lucky to have a family who loved her. Her parents adored her and Toby was the best brother ever. But now that he was on a trip with Anthony, a family friend, it was a little lonely without him. But thankfully, there was still Stella, Mick, and Val. Friends who liked her no matter what anybody esle said about her or her family. But it would be nice if she didn't have to deal with so much ridicule. "People can be so pathetic," thought Maddie, "Most of them deserve to die."

Today was just like any other day. Delivering pies all day and sitting at home all night. Nothing was ever special. Just in time for dinner, Maddie arrived home to find her mother setting the table. When Maddie walked through the door, she looked up and smiled.

"Did you have a nice day, dear?" Mrs. Lovett asked. "Same old, same old Mum," mumbled Maddie. "Did Daddy close up yet?"

"Oh, you know how long he likes to take. Might be a while until he comes down to eat," replied Mrs. Lovett. "Want some dinner?" "Sure, I guess," answered Maddie. She set down her basket and took at seat at the table. "How are Val, Mick, and Stella? Is business good?" her mother asked.

"They're well, thanks for asking. They got a new employee today," said Maddie. "Well isn't that nice? What's his name, or her name?" "Jared. I think," said Maddie. The boy who was staring at me, she thought to herself.

"Is he a nice boy?" asked . "I didn't get to talk to him, since you had the lunch rush today." replied Maddie softly. "Oh, well maybe you can get to know him tomorrow if we're not that busy. Now let's eat, it's been a long day."

After a quiet dinner, Maddie decided to go up and see what her father was doing. Once again he missed dinner, something must have been on his mind. Gently knocking, Maddie opened the door. "Daddy," she called softly. He was standing by the window, staring out of it. As she entered, he turned around to see who it was.

"Oh, Maddie. Sorry I didn't come down to dinner," answered Sweeney. "Got lost in my thoughts again." "Don't worry, I brought you some food," said Maddie, as she walked over and set a tray of food on the dresser. She turned to look at him.

"What were you thinking about today?" she asked. "Same as usual I suppose, about life," he mumbled. I guess we're sort of alike that way, thought Maddie. We always have the same thoughts about everything.

"Do you ever think about how life could be different?" asked Maddie. "Once in a while. But trust me, it's a lot better now than it was back then. In my perspective at least," said Sweeney. "Anyway, how was your day?"

"Nothing new. Last few weeks have been boring," answered Maddie. "I see," said Sweeney. "What's your mother doing?" "Just finished cleaning up. I think we're both ready for bed," said Maddie. "Alright then." Sweeney walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, Maddie. I'll be down in a moment."

"Good night, Daddy," whispered Maddie, then she turned and walked out the door and headed downstairs.

Maddie layed on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow was just going to be another dull day. More pies to deliver and more people to dispise. Hopefully, she wouldn't be so busy and she could spend time with Val and the others. Then there was that new boy, Jared. 'Why did he seem so interested in me,' thought Maddie. "Probably just another boy who will ignore me afterwards." Then again, anyone who worked with Val was probably a nice person. Also, he was new in town and didn't really know her. But what if he was just another stupid boy? "We'll just see about that tomorrow," she said to herself. Maddie turned out the light and waited for morning.

Am I getting better? Please leave a comment and tell me. I need to hear from you people!


	3. Chapter 3

Jared awoke eagerly the next morning. Dressing quickly he was out the door in a flash. While walking to Val's, a million thoughts raced through his head all at once. When will Maddie show up? Will it be noon or mid afternoon or would she arrive earlier than that? When she does come, what will he say to her? Should he just say hi? After going over it in his head a million times, Jared was still clueless.

"She might not even want to talk to me, not if I keep gawking at her anyway," thought Jared. Today was not going to be a smooth day. Finally turning the corner, he arrived at Val's shop. As he came in, Val was coming down the stairs.

"Jared! Excellent timing. You look excited today," he observed.

"Well, it's the first day of a new job. Why wouldn't I be excited?" asked Jared.

"Something just tells me that your excited for a certain reason. Anyway, if you want to get started, how about unpacking a box of new vases in the back? Mick could use some help, " said Val.

" Is Stella here yet?" asked Jared.

"She should be here soon. I have to run down to the grocer's few a few things. I'll only be gone for a few minutes, I can trust you lot to watch the store for that long."

"All right, see you in a bit," said Jared as Val walked out the door. After sitting his bag on the counter, Jared slipped through the door to the back room. He saw Mick pulling down a few boxes from upper shelves.

"Need some help?" spoke Jared. Mick wipped around.

"Blimey Jared you gave me a fright. Did you just get here?" asked Mick.

"Yeah, Val went to the store and Stella's not here yet. It looks like you need a hand."

"Thanks." said Mick. "Think we just gonna unpack things all morning. Hope Maddie shows up early, I didn't eat a big breakfest."

"When does Maddie usually get here?'' Jared asked, starting to go through a box. Now maybe he can prepare what he was going to say to Maddie.

"Her ususal time is noon. You sound interested, can't wait to see her again?" Mick replied teasingly. Now Jared was starting to turn red.

"I was just curious, Mick. It's no big deal," he answered. He could not let Mick in on what he was thinking.

"Oh, come on. You said you liked her yesterday. Don't pretend that didn't happen. It's all right, you can talk to me," reassured Mick, seeing Jared's distressed look. "I'm not the kind of person who messes around with someone's feelings. If you need a little advice, I can help. But I can only do that if you have some faith in me."

Jared started breathing a little easier. Perhaps he really could trust Mick in this kind of situation.

"So, do want to see her again?" asked Mick.

"Well, yes. But, what in the world am I supposed to say? I was staring at her like a bloody idiot yesterday. She might not want to talk to me. Maybe she'll leave right away and won't say a word," stated Jared.

"If Maddie's not busy she'll stay. She likes being with us. Maybe you two just need to get used to being around each other. If you like Maddie, perhaps soon she'll start to like you back," suggested Mick.

"But what if I can't talk to her?" Jared asked.

"Just start off saying little things, like 'hi' or 'how are you'. At least try to start a conversation with her. Trust me, Maddie will start talking if she wants you to leave her alone," Mick adivsed.

"How does that get her to like me?"

"Just keep calm and be nice to her. It might take a while, but you can become great friends with Maddie, really. Come on, lets get these vases on the shelves before Val gets back. He'll think we're slacking."

After placing the vases in place, Mick and Jared were about to go back into the back room when Val and Stella both came through the front door, carrying several brown bags.

"Ah, boys! Nice job so far. Guess what? I ran into Stella at the grocer's," Val said happily.

"Chores took to long this morning, sorry," explained Stella.

"Well, you're both here now and that's good, need some help?" asked Mick.

"That would be wonderful, thank you. We can take these upstairs, then I need you guys to rearrange the wine glasses and the music boxes. Sound all right?" asked Val.

"Sure," said the three of them.

As soon as they got the food upstairs, Jared, Mick, and Stella came back downstairs to do what Val requested.

"So, were you boys getting aquainted while I wasn't here?" asked Stella.

"Actually, yes. I'm trying to help Jared figure what he's going to talk to Maddie about when she gets here," replied Mick, smiling. Jared rolled his eyes at him.

"Oh, really. Jared you're not trying anything stupid are you? Because if you are..." retorted Stella sternly.

"No, I am not trying anything stupid. Why would I?" Jared responded.

"Because no one is ever nice to Maddie. They're the ones who make the rude remarks first, not her. I just don't want you treating Maddie like everyone else does, all right? If you do talk to her, be as sweet as possible, please?" asked Stella. The look on her face told Jared that Stella was probably capable of doing certain things to people when they didn't do what she told them.

"Oh, lighten up, Stella. Jared would be the last person to do something horrible to someone. He likes Maddie, he thinks she's cute," stated Mick.

''Mick!" exclaimed Jared. Why did he have to ruin the moment?

"Do you seriously think that?" asked Stella, surprised. As Jared was about to speak, Mick quickly put his hand over his mouth.

"Yes, he does. He doesn't think Maddie will talk to him since he stared at her yesterday," explained Mick. Jared yanked Mick's hand away. Stella stared at him with blank astonishment.

''I won't be rude to Maddie, I swear," promised Jared. Would she believe him? Stella took a minute before she spoke.

"I'll give you a chance, Jared. But be careful, if anything goes wrong I will find out about it and I will teach you a lesson." After a quick glare, Stella turned and walked down an isle that led to the music boxes. Jared looked at Mick with an upset experesion.

"Forget it. Stella said the same thing to me when I started working here. She's best friends with Maddie, so she cares about her. I would be carful though, a conflict with Stella can get messy. Well, let's get to work."

Mick followed down the isle where Stella went. Jared stood there for a minute and looked at the clock on top of the back room door. Maddie would be here in a few hours, so he had limited time to think of what his first words would be to her.

A.N.: I'm really, really sorry I took so long. Please don't hate me! I've been busy! Also, please review this chapter and tell me if there's anything I screwed up on. I really will try to make sure that the next chapter will be up sooner, if you guys really want me to continue. Please say you do, please? Pretty please with sugar on top?


	4. Chapter 4

Any minute now. It was twelve o' one. Any minute now Maddie would walk through the door and deliver the pies. And Jared would lose his cool.

"How is it possible that you could be this nervous just for talking to a girl?" questioned Mick. They were both sitting on stools behind the cashier counter. "You could just be getting worked up over nothing. Relax, what's the worst that could happen," he asked.

"I could say the wrong thing and she would never speak to me again. I'd make myself a bloody idiot," said Jared. He paused a moment, then asked curiously, "Is Maddie really sensitive?"

"Only if you talk about her family, I think. Say anything terrible and you could get an evil glare or a smack in the face. Sometimes she's unpredictable. But you know, anyone could get angry when their family's been insulted. I know I would." Mick stopped talking and noticed Jared's concerned look. "She's not a bad person, honest. You just need to really take time to get to know her."

Jared looked down at the counter. "What makes her so odd that everyone treats her so poorly?" he asked.

"Her parents don't have the best reputation. Well, her father at least. Rumors say that people used to disappear in his barber shop. There was no real evidence, but some say he's mad man and he kills his victims,'' Mick explained. Jared's eyes widened. "You don't believe that do you?'' he asked.

"Oh, no. I always thought that people said that because he's mean looking. I only met him once. Sort of a grim person. I think Maddie takes after him a lot," Mick assured.

Jared took deep breath. "Look, you wanted to know something about Maddie and I told you," said Mick. "You have a right to ask."

"Actually Mick, I don't think he has a right to ask. Why does he have to learn about my personal business?" said a voice. Jared and Mick's heads whipped forward to find Maddie just standing several feet away from them. Her hands gripped her basket tightly and her eyes gave an angry glare. Jared's breath went shallow and his heart nearly froze.

"Well, why does he," Maddie asked again.

"Umm, uh" Mick stuttered. "Well, Jared's new and he wanted to get to know you and he was curious and I was being helpful by answering his questions. He sort of fancies you and..OW!" He was interrupted by a kick in the shin from Jared. "Just being honest," he muttered. Maddie said nothing and shifted her glare to Jared. Jared swallowed hard. What was he supposed to do now? Maddie was waiting for an answer but he was frozen by her stare. Her brown eyes looked cold and hard, but strangely beautiful and majestic at the same time. Jared looked back down at the counter. How could he be thinking about her eyes right now? Even if they were really pretty?

"I'm sorry Maddie, I didn't mean to upset you. You're right, I shouldn't be rude and ask about certain things you didn't want me to know," he said softly.

"See, he didn't mean to offend you. Can we just put this silly little incident behind us already?" asked Mick, who was trying to lighten the mood. Maddie walked closer and set her basket on the counter. She took out two meat pies and set them in front of Mick and Jared. She still whore a scowl.

"Just eat your bloody pies and be quiet," she said and walked towards a shelf. Jared looked at Mick and whispered. "That was horrible. She officially hates me."

"It just started off the wrong way. It's fixable," said Mick as he started to eat his pie. "And how is it fixable, exactly?" asked Jared.

"Try having at least a small conversation. Have ago now, while she's still here. You can do it," Mick encouraged. Jared turned to look at Maddie. She was browsing the china doll section at the left end of the room. In a way, Mick was right. He had to speak directly to Maddie sooner or later. After a few seconds of hesitation, Jared stood up and walked slowly to Maddie.

As he approached, Maddie didn't pay him the slightest attention. She kept her gaze on the top row of dolls. "If you're going to give me another apology don't bother, it's useless," she said with no expression. Jared took quiet breath.

"Can I say anything to you?'' he asked. "I'd prefer if you didn't," said Maddie. "Do you not like meeting new people?" Jared asked carefully. "It's not that exactly, it's only when new people ask annoying questions about people they just met," she said swiftly. Jared bit his lip. Maddie was clearly a professional at this sort of thing. How could he win? He tried a new direction.

"Well, you don't seem very social. Do you not like making friends?" "I don't need to make friends with everyone, do I?" she asked.

"It's nice to try. You're friends with Stella and Mick. Why not with me?" Jared questioned. "Because you seem like the type of git who could easily be a pest to me like you are right now," she stated. Ouch. Didn't see that coming.

"Do you have to be so uptight?" he asked. "Are you going to question me all day?" Maddie asked back. "Yes, if you keep acting that way,'' Jared said tensely. Maddie finally turned her head to look at him. "I don't want to talk to you!" she snapped back angrily. Now it was time to get serious.

"Maddie, I really am trying to be nice to you. But if you won't cooperate and be nice back to me then I'll have to be rude. Do you want it to be that way?" Jared asked sternly. Maddie's stare turned less angry. "Why would you want to be friends with me?'' she asked.

"It seems like you could use another friend. If you ever need someone to talk to I'm a good listener," Jared said sincerely. Maddie's face went expressionless and ha turned back to the doll shelf. "Do you like dolls?" Jared asked.

"They're nice to look at," Maddie said calmly. "I used to have one like these, but I lost it. I was only seven."

When Jared looked at her, he surprisingly caught a glimpse of sadness on her face. Could losing a old doll really effect someone deeply?

Before Jared was able to ask, he heard the doorbell ring, signaling an entrance. Turning around, he saw that a girl had entered. She had big, strawberry blonde hair, and was wearing green dress with a feathered hat to match. She looked about Maddie's age and she had a very odd face. Her nose was big, making her eyes and mouth look extremely small. She appeared to be holding what seemed like a music box. And as soon as she spoke, Jared knew right away that she was avery unpleasant person to be with.

"Can anyone help me?" she said with a nasal-like voice. Maddie's head snapped around to stare at the girl. Her evil glare returned right away.

"If you're talking about your voice, Evelyn, I don't think anyone can help you with that," she retorted. The girl shot a glare right back at Maddie.

"I am referring to my music box, Maddie. And I want someone to fix it right now! Here," she said walking to Jared and shoving it in his hands. "You fix it." After a pause, she gave him a look and said, "Hmm, you're cute. Are you new here? That's nice. More importantly, can you fix my box?"

Jared tried to think of an excuse, then before he knew it, Mick was right at his side.

"How about I fix for you Evelyn? I'm sure there''s just a spring out place somewhere," he said, taking the box from Jared. "This is Jared, by the way," he mentioned as he walked to the storeroom. When Mick was gone, it was just Jared with Maddie and Evelyn. Jared threw Maddie a quick glance. Her glare still hadn't left yet. It seemed as though she was trying to harm Evelyn just by staring at her, very hard. The next conversation was not going to end well.

Evelyn turned back to Jared with a smirk. "Well, Jared, it's nice to meet you. Must be an interesting person I suspect," she said, and then gave Maddie a pouty look. " But what are you doing with this little nobody? Did her father threaten to kill you if you didn't talk to her?" That did it. Maddie made the first move.

Evelyn's eyes would have probably been clawed out in ten seconds if Jared hadn't grabbed Maddie at her waist to stop her from attacking. "You bitch! Take that back!" she shrieked. Not a second later, Jared heard foot steps coming down the stairs. Stella was running straight towards them.

"What did you do now Evelyn?'' she barked. "Why are you blaming me? SHE'S the mad one!" retorted Evelyn. "Why don't you learn to keep your mouth shut?" Maddie growled. She was still struggling in Jared's arms, but Jared wouldn't let her go even for a second. He couldn't let her attack Evelyn, but he didn't want to let her go either. When else would he get the opportunity to hold her again?

"That's it. Evelyn, get out!" Stella shouted. She grabbed her by her hair and yanked her towards the door. "Ow! Stop it! You stupid…uh!" shrieked Evelyn. Stella opened the door and threw Evelyn out to the street. "And don't come back!" she yelled and slammed the door. From the window, Jared could see Evelyn stomping away in a huff. Stella dusted her hands and walked back to him and Maddie. "Calm down Maddie, I took care of her," she said easily. Maddie stopped struggling and took a deep breath. Jared let go of her and tried to ease the mood.

"You ok?" he asked softly. Maddie looked at him with an upset look. "Sorry you had to see that," she whispered. Stella put her arm around her. "I've told you, always call me when Evelyn stops by. Next time I'll make sure she never comes back," she said confidently. "Does that mean she won't be getting her music box back?" said Mick, who came back from the store room. "I fixed it. I was right, there was just a spring out of place. I heard some screaming, did I miss a good fight?"

"Not really, Stella took care of Evelyn for me," said Maddie. "Little witch made me angry again." "Have you always hated her?'' Jared asked. Maddie looked up at him. "Since I was seven, how do you think I lost my doll?"

A.N: I am so sorry it took me so long to write this. Half the time school's driving me crazy and then the rest of the time I'm suffering from writers block. I can't write as fast as most of you guys can, please don't be angry with me if i don't update right away. hey, if I take my time, the chapter's really good. Wouldn't you want it that way? Anyway, please leave reviews to tell me what you think. am i getting better? p.s. i can't think of an idea for a new story. Can anyone help me? You will totally get credit, i promise.


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone was quiet at the counter during lunch. Maddie was scraping her nails against the surface, still trying to calm down. Jared kept timidly staring at her from the other end. Stella was glaring at Mick to make sure he didn't say anything to matters worse. Val, who had missed the main event, was trying to find the right moment to break the silence.

"I just thought of something," he said after five minutes. "There's a new play at the Lullaby Theater tonight. How about we all go and see it? My treat."

"You know what, that sounds like just the thing we need to make this day better," said Stella, brightening up. "We haven't been to that theater in a while. Oh, Jared you'd like it there. They're always performing these cute little shows every night. I remember when they had "The Black Roses" playing for weeks. Maddie and I went nearly every night, remember Maddie?" She looked over towards her at the end of the counter. Maddie raised her eyes to look at Stella. "Yes, why do you bring it up now?''

"Well, it was your favorite show. You were so disappointed when it ended. Maybe you'll like this new one. Hey Val, what's the play called?"

"I think it's called "A Simple Love Song". Another romance. It's not a fantasy like the Black Roses, but let's give it a shot. Boys, you in?" said Val.

"Anything to make us forget about Evelyn. Jared, how do you feel?" Mick asked. Jared moved his eyes from Maddie to stare at Mick.

"Uh, if everyone wants to go I'll go," he said. He had never been to a play before in his life. He never thought he could sit through two hours of people just shouting on a stage. But, if Maddie likes plays, it wouldn't hurt to see one.

"All right then, it's settled. How about we all meet there at seven thirty? Jared, I'll write down the directions for you," said Val, grabbing a piece of paper from a drawer. "Wait, are you all sure you could make it? Maddie do you have work tonight?" he asked. Maddie grimaced. "I don't even feel like going," she answered.

"Why not? Do you honestly just want to stay home and be upset all night?" Stella nearly shouted. "You don't make my decisions for me Stella, if I don't feel like going, then I DON'T HAVE TO GO,'' Maddie emphasized. Stella took a deep breath. "Maddie, you had a bad day. I just want to help make it better. I'm your friend, that's my job,'' she said calmly. She got up, walked over to Maddie, and gave her a hug. "Please let me do my job?" she said when she was done. Maddie looked at the floor for a moment, then looked at Stella.

"Fine. But on one condition,'' she answered. Maddie stood up, picked up her basket, and then walked over to Jared. She brought back her evil glare. "If you stare at me for entire show, I would suggest not coming in tomorrow." She turned on her heel and walked out of the shop. Jared stared in to space. He stopped breathing.

"That was interesting,'' commented Mick. He patted Jared on the back. "You all right? You're as pale as a ghost," he told him. Jared started breathing again. "Should I really come with you all tonight? Maddie doesn't want me near her, and something tells me that she'll attempt to kill me when I see her again." Wow, he was really panicking, over a little threat? He can't let her do this to him.

"I'll talk to her Jared, I promise. Maddie can be reasonable, when she's not angry," said Stella. She gave him a soft smile. "Calm down Jared, she always used to threaten me when I got her angry," joked Mick. He leaned back in his chair. "It'll take a while, but she'll come around. I mean, you're the first boy to ever to fancy her. She'll have to give you a chance." He grinned at Jared.

"Jared, you like Miss Maddie?" asked Val, a smilie forming on his face. "That's very nice. What was it? Love at first sight? I bet it was. Maddie is a pretty girl, most boys just don't see that." He sighed. "I don't think Maddie finds herself pretty either. Maybe you need to show her that." He leaned across the counter towards Jared. "Try showing Maddie little signs of affection. Compliment her, give her a flower. Why, I think you should even try to take her out for a night on the town." Jared gaped at him.

''How is taking her out a small sign of affection?" he asked. "That tells her how much you're interested," Mick said, agreeing with Val. "She's not going to give in to that,'' Jared said glumly. "I'll make her,'' smirked Stella. "She can't ignore you forever, Jared. Maddie has to learn to open up and recognize when a boy is trying to get her attention. We'll try it out tonight. Ask her if she wants to go out for a walk or something."

Jared sighed to himself. How did he start getting love advice on his first day of work? Maddie didn't want to have anything to do with him. It seemed as nothing would get through to her. But earlier, when they were looking at the dolls, she shared her past with him. She was, sensitive. He found a soft spot. Like Stella said, Maddie was reasonable when she wasn't angry. If he could connect with her through that one memory, maybe something could happen. Maybe he discover the key to her heart. "All right," he said, facing Stella. "I''ll ask Maddie out for a walk, but promise you"ll protect me incase she does try to kill me."

AN: Wow, that took forever huh? I try to write chapters as much as i can. Thank you for bearing with me. Please tell me what you think, i hope this is getting more interesting. p.s. maybe the more you guys nag me, the faster i'll get done the next chapter. just a thought. (hey PurpleandBlackPandas, i never really thought about a death story for sweeney. i'll keep you posted if anything happens)


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